If you were to ask a non-card collector what they thought of the color combination of ‘Maroon & Grey’, you may be met with some grunts, groans, and odd noises.

But, Fleer was able to pull off that combination of color with their 1989 baseball card design.

And, personally, I find the cards pretty solid looking – not superb, but far from horrible.

Judge for yourself:

The card works well, because the stripes on Schmidt’ uniform compliment the Maroon striping of the card’s design. And Schmidt’s helmet is a perfect match for the Phillies “P” that adorns the upper-right corner of the card!

On this day in 1987, Andre Dawson was awarded with the National League’s MVP award.

The headlines across baseball on that day had everything to do with Andre’s incredible year for a terrible team. Dawson was the first and only player to capture this award while playing for a last place team. Oh, what a year it was!!!

The 1987 season was magical for Andre. In his debut season playing for the Cubs, Dawson took center stage on a star filled roster, and he quickly became the centerpiece of their offense as well a fan favorite. His incredible numbers from that season include 178 hits, 90 runs scored, 49 home runs, 137 RBI, and a .568 slugging percentage.

In addition to winning the MVP award in ’87, Dawson also walked away with a Gold Glove award, a Silver Slugger trophy, and his first of five All-star appearances as a Cub.

Congratulations Mr. Dawson!! I am so thankful that I got to enjoy watching this year-long sensational performance!!

MIAMI — As the Marlins are redirecting and getting younger, the club also is adding a veteran who was a major part of their 2003 World Series championship team.

According to multiple sources, Juan Pierre has agreed to a one-year, $1.6 million contract.

The 35-year-old outfielder will be making his second stint with the organization, offering veteran leadership, a tremendous work ethic and speed.

Pierre appeared in 130 games with the Phillies in 2012, batting .307 with 37 stolen bases.

Entering his 14th big league season, Pierre previously was with the Marlins in 2003-05. He set the franchise single-season stolen-base record of 65 in ’03, when he batted .305 and scored 100 runs.

The Marlins traded Pierre to the Cubs after the 2005 season in a deal that brought Ricky Nolasco to Miami. Nolasco has since become the organization’s all-time wins leader.

Pierre previously was a teammate of Miami manager Mike Redmond.

One of the hardest workers in the game, Pierre is a quiet leader who regularly is the first player to report to the stadium. During Spring Training, it was common for him to be in the batting cage before 7 a.m.

Pierre is a career .297 hitter who has 2,141 hits and 591 stolen bases.

During his first stint with the organization, Pierre played center field. But he is expected to be used in left field, largely because of his below-average throwing arm.

Pierre is a candidate to hit at the top of the order or be used in a platoon situation.

The Marlins have some options for center field, going either with Justin Ruggiano, Gorkys Hernandez or Bryan Petersen.

Durability has been a source of pride for the left-handed-hitting Pierre. In his three seasons previously with the Marlins, he appeared in all 162 games in each year. In 2003, he played in every inning.

Pierre had a standout season in ’04, batting .326 with 221 hits, 45 stolen bases and 100 runs scored.

Bringing back Pierre comes at a time the Marlins are finalizing a blockbuster 12-player trade with the Blue Jays. Miami has agreed to send Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, John Buck and Emilio Bonifacio to the Blue Jays for seven players, including infielders Yunel Escobar and Adeiny Hechavarria.

I remember Sheffield when he broke into the big leagues. His 1989 Topps card was a hot commodity and his very famous uncle helped build quite a bit of buzz about this young, talented shortstop. Like many fans and collectors, I took the bait and bought into Sheffield. Yet, with all of the attention and praise he got early on in his career, I don’t think many of us saw being a future member of the ‘500 Home Run Club’ in his future.

I think that this is what is great about the game of baseball. I cannot think of another major sport where you can see someone get better and better at parts of the game like they can in baseball. Yes, basketball players can refine their shot to convert more opportunities. But in baseball, the amount and level of skills that can be improved are never-ending. From hitting for power, to pitch control, to fielding, it is very obvious when a player takes that next step and gets better at their job.

Anyways, back to Sheff. Gary Sheffield will be a Hall of Famer when his career is over. Being a World Series champion and a member of the 500 HR Club are just 2 of the big reasons that this will happen.

No player in major league baseball history has received a higher percentage of votes for Hall of Fame election on their first ballot than Tom Seaver.

Not Hank Aaron. Not Willie Mays. Not Johnny Bench. Not Cal Ripken. And not Rickey Henderson.

In Seaver’s first year of eligibility, he received 425 of 430 votes for election, good for a 98.8% clip.

Seaver was the headliner of the 1992 Baseball Hall of Fame induction class.

His plaque reads:

‘Franchise power pitcher who transformed Mets from loveable losers to formidable foes. Won 311 games over 20 years. Set NL career record for strikeouts by RHP (3,272) and modern record for lowest ERA (2.73). Whiffed 200 or more NL record to times (19 in a single game). NL Rookie Of The Year, 1967 and 3-time Cy Young Awardee. No-Hit Cards in 1978.’